JERUSALEM, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Sunday urged European powers to recognize U.S. unilateral announcement over the resumption of the United Nations Security Council's sanctions against Iran.

In a statement issued by his office, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi called on Israel's allies, known as E-3 countries, namely France, Britain, and Germany, "to retreat from their opposition and work towards rigorously implementing the sanctions."

He urged them to reimpose the sanctions on the national level, as well as on the EU level and through the UN mechanisms.

His call came after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that all pre-2015 sanctions against Iran had been reimposed.

However, most of the member states of the UN Security Council said that Pompeo's move is based on a mechanism that is part of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers, meaning that his announcement was not valid.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government considers Iran its arch-foe and has long called the international community to impose sanctions on the Islamic republic.